"Deagan Bars/Dunbar's" (or..."Geoff Hoovers The Flat Mouse") "I bought this 10 years ago out of a crazy lady's garage, and when I got it home and cleaned it, I found a dead mouse in one of the resonators. Low G I think." "Old Deagan 5 octave marimba. F - F Probably made around 1917. On a little brass plate it says the following: Quality Deagan Marimba Xylophone Catalogue #4728 Serial #1014 Manufactured by J.C. Deagan Musical Bells Inc. Chicago, USA"

The San Bernardino Pack Rat Purchased this marimba in June 1993 in San Bernardino, CA. Don't know her name, she was insane. Her house was a shambles, she was a packrat. Would not let me into her house, I asked if I could wash my hands 'cause I was dirty from handling the marimba, and she goes inside her house, then comes out with a bucket of water and says "wash in here!" The marimba was in her garage, she was using it as a table. She advertised it in the Recycler, asking $800. After I saw it, I asked how much, she said she was down to $300, so I offered her $280 and it was sold. I had actually come prepared with $600 cash. She said it was her Dad's, he was a percussionist. Don't know any names. I broke it down, it comes apart in half and loaded into my pickup, I couldn't break down one row of resonators, so it leaned against the cab all the way down to the tail gate. One bar was cracked, low F# and was missing one high note, high Bb. Had them made by FallCreek Marimbas,(I think,) also he tuned the bars.

Resonator Death (Mouse-Mortem) The story on my marimba is a good one. I swear that mouse was petrified like a rock. You see, the 5 lowest notes on my marimba are so low (low F) that the resonator pipes actually bend up at the bottom, 180 degrees. So this poor mouse must have gotten stuck in there and died. I was using a vacuum cleaner hose attachment, and sticking the hose all the way down the pipes, when I heard something plug the vacuum, pulled out the hose and I see a flat mouse stuck there. Yuck.

Christmas Deagan This was a great time for my marimba. Celebrating our first Christmas in Palm Desert, we opted to buy a tiny, fake Christmas tree with lights and put it atop the mighty Marimba. Presents were placed all around. Taken in Palm Desert 1994. To end the story quickly, (or to continue the timeline of my marimba,) in 1996 we moved to Burbank , CA and the marimba was left behind at my Mother's house in Palm Springs, I did not have room for it at my new pad. So it sat, dismantled in piles in a spare bedroom at my Mom's. Then in 1998 we moved to Pasadena, and I had a bit more room in my newly converted garage, so I called up my mom and asked if she wanted to bring out my marimba next time she was out. Immediately my Dad threw the pieces in their Surburban and headed out to Pasadena where we shoveled it into my garage. I slowly reassembled the marimba and played it again. Now it sits opposite my drum set and vibes. 34 inches tall, 39 inches wide at its lowest note F, and just over 9 feet long. Honduras rosewood.